Corrupt judge charge: Katju poses six questions to Justice Lahoti

New Delhi: Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju, currently Chairman of Press Council of India alleged that three ex-Chief Justices of India had compromised in giving extension to an additional judge of Madras High court.

Katju, who became the Chief Justice of Madras High Court in November 2004, had told TV channels yesterday, "These three former CJIs made improper compromises. Justice Lahoti who started it, then Justice Sabharwal and then Justice Balakrishnan. These are CJIs who can surrender. Is a CJI going to surrender to political pressure or not going to surrender to political pressure?"

Katju, who was a Supreme Court judge from 2006 to 2011, was appointed as the PCI Chairman on October 5, 2011 and is due to retire on October 4, this year.

He started his blog posting today by saying Lahoti, when contacted by some media people about his statement which was published on my blog and in a daily yesterday, generally remarked that he has never done anything wrong in his life.

Katju said he (Lahoti) has not gone into any specifics, "So let me put him some specific questions: Is it, or is it not, correct that I first wrote him a letter from Chennai, stating that there were serious allegations of corruption about an Additional Judge of Madras High Court, and therefore he (Justice Lahoti) should get a secret intelligence enquiry held against that Additional Judge, and thereafter I personally met Justice Lahoti at Delhi and again requested for a secret IB enquiry against the Additional Judge about whom I had received several complaints, and from several sources, that he was indulging in corruption? "

"Is it, or is it not, correct that on my request Justice Lahoti ordered a secret IB enquiry against that Judge? "

"Is it, or is it not correct, that a few weeks after I personally met him in Delhi and then returned to Chennai, he telephoned me from Delhi (while I was at Chennai) and told me that the IB, after thorough enquiry, gave a report that indeed the Judge was indulging in corruption?"